Rail-joint.



JUlNT'., numana@ msm. Jmuz; 21 12mm..

I Patented sept.15,19os.

@mi h1 uss attenua? MARY ELISEBETH GILGREST, OF MOUNT STERLING, KENTUCKY.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed .Tune 21, 1907. Serial No. 380,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, MARY ELisnBETi-i GIL- CREs'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Sterling, in the county of Montgomery and State of Kentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a rail joint and has for its principal object to provide splicing and bracing means for the meeting ends of l adjacent rail sections whereby a strong and substantial structure is provided, sagging or spreading of the rails prevented, and noise and shocks by the passage of the car wheels over the rails eliminated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a rail joint comprising a supporting plate adapted to extend under the meeting ends of adjacent rail sections, in combination with side plates which are bolted to the rail sections at the Webs thereof and to the under supporting plate, there being alining tongues or projections on the sides of the fish plates that engage in cut away portions of the heads of the rails and one projection being extended over the heads so as to be flush with the top surfaces or tread of the sections.

Vith these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

ln the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rail joint. Figs. 2, 3 vand 4 are perspective views of the side and bottom plates of the joint. Figs. 5 and 6 are sectional views on lines 5 5 and 6 6, respectively. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the end of one ofthe rail sections.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, A and B designate the meeting ends of adjacent rail sections, the sections being of standard construction and each comprising a head 1, web 2, and base 3. As shown in Fig. 7, the head 1 is reduced at the top and both sides as indicated at 4, so that when the rails are placed together, a recess is formed. The webs of the rail sections are provided with apertures 5, Fig. 6, and the bases are provided with apertures 6.

Under the rail sections is a supporting plate 7 that rests on the cross ties adjacent the joint, and this plate is provided with apertures 8 that are adapted to register with the apertures 6 of the rail sections and along one edge of the plate is an upwardly curved flange 9 that hooks over the rail bases at one side. On opposite sides of the rail sections are fish plates 10 and 11 that are presented to the webs and have outwardly inclined base-engaging portions 12, the base-engaging portion of the fish plate 11 being adapted to contact with the top of the flange 9 of the supporting plate 7, while the base-engaging portion 12 of the other fish plate is hanged downwardly at 13 to engage the side of the supporting plate 7. wardly-extending tongues 14 that engage between the shoulders 15 at the reduced portions of the heads of the rail sections, and the tongue on the fish plate 10 is bent horizontally to form a tread portion 16 that engages between the shoulders 15 and is disposed flush with the tread of the rail. By means of this hook-shaped tongue, the rail sections are prevented from relative vertical movement as the wheels of a train pass over the track and this feature, in connection with the form of the fish plates and under-supporting plate 7, cooperate to form a strong and substantial joint whereby spreading and dis-jointing of the rail sections is positivelyprevented. The parts of the joint are secured together by bolts 17 that pass through the fish plates and webs of the rail sections and by bolts 1S that pass through apertures 19 in the fish plates and apertures 6 and 8 in the bases of the rail sections and supporting plate respectively.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which l now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as desired as are within the scope ofthe claims.

0n the fish plates are up webs of' the sections and provided with a flange extending below the bases of the sections, a supporting plate under the sections having one edge presented to .the said flange of the fish-plate and provided with an upwardly-extending iange at the opposite edge for engaging the bases of the sections, a second fish-plate fitted to the webs of the sections and extending over the flange of the supporting plate, bolts passing through the fish-plates and webs of the sections, bolts passing through the fish-plates and supporting plate and through the bases of the sections for holding the parts together, and tongues on the fish-plates extending into the recesses in the heads of the sections, one tongue provided with a lateral extension disposed flush with the tread surface of the sections.

2. A rail joint comprising a pair of rail sections having their head portions reduced at the top and sides to form a recess at the abutting ends of the sections, fish plates disposed at opposite sides of the sections and having their top edges fitting under the heads of the sections, tongues rising from the top edges of the iish plates and fitting in the vertical portionsof the recesses, one ofthe tongues being.

provided with a horizontal extension fitting in the recess and extending from one side of the rail sections to the other and bearing on the other tongue, and means for securing the fish plates to the rail sections.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARY ELISEBETH GILCREST.

Witnesses:

J W. HEDDEN, W. P. GUTHRIE. 

